Wednesday, May 31, 2017

I continue to receive questions about the future of Pali Lift. Eventually, all lifts reach an age when they need substantial renovation or replacement. Installed in 1978, Pali is in her Golden Years. While an exact date has not been set, we anticipate replacing the double chairlift in the next few years. We plan on replacing the lift with another double chairlift in the exact same location. The new lift will likely have a galvanized finish versus current Pali's shiny black finish. Other than that, and being brand new, the next Pali Lift will perform and feel very much like the old Pali Lift. We consciously made the decision to keep that special, classic, double chair, intimate feel. I know some people would like to see a detachable quad there but, we chose to keep this "Classic Colorado Experience."

When the time comes, we do plan on selling the old chairs. Exactly when and how has not yet been determined. When we do know, we will make sure you know.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

We enjoyed a near perfect Family Memorial Day, Colorado style. After spending the morning at The Basin, we headed up to Loveland Pass. There we trudged our way on an hour hike and found a ski line with 2,000 vertical feet of ideal corn snow. Smooth. We followed with lunch with Bumpy in Marnie's at The 6th Alley.

That would be enough but, we headed down to Red Rocks and caught the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers show. My favorite band. Another reason to love being in Colorado.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Lately I have been seeing Uber vehicles dropping skiers off at The Basin. I am not sure how many vehicles are out there in Summit County but, this could be another option for some people to get to The Basin on a busy day.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Join us this Sunday for our biggest event of the season, The Festival of the Brewpubs. More than a dozen Colorado breweries will be sharing their beers. We will have plenty of food for everyone and The Freddy Jones will entertain the crowd.

The Summit Stage will be running both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Sunday is the final day of the season for The Stage. Spend the morning skiing and the afternoon eating and tasting beers. Use the Summit Stage to get down the hill. Always fun.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

We are going to stay open for at least one extra weekend. We will close for seven day a week operations of Sunday, June 4. We will be closed Monday thru Thursday and we will re-open for skiing and riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 9, 10 and 11. Beyond that, we will have to wait and see.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Today's start was spectacular. 3 inches of new snow. Blue skies. Perfect grooming. Outstanding skiing and riding. Like it often happens in the Spring, afternoon clouds, and eventually showers, rolled in. Snow and more snow. I just checked the snow cam. It is still snowing with a few (I like the term several) inches on the stake.

Tuesday is going to be another powder day. Forget about that bike for a few more days and go skiing.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

With all the excitement of the last few days, I don't think we talked enough about how really special and outstanding the skiing was, especially for mid-May. Yes, we had about 2 feet of snow. We have had prime, mid-winter conditions. Today I made an awesome lap around the ski area skiing The Spine, 3rd Alley, West Wall, Long Chute in Zuma Bowl, hiked North Pole and skied East Vertical Cornice and then finished the tour with a Willy's hike and a ski down Booger. That may have been my last pass of the season through the Snorkel Door. It was a good one.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

The day turned out nicely. We had light snow showers off and on. The sun never really popped out like I was expecting. There was good hiking and skiing in North Pole and Willy's Wide. The Alleys skied well. It was a little chilly for a Swimwear Festival. A few bikini wearers braved the cold. Whitewater Ramble gave us a good show.

Despite having quite a few more people here today than yesterday, the parking went much more smoothly. People arrived very early. Very few cars parked on the highway. The Summit Stage ran a couple of buses and a lot of people parked at River Run in Keystone. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the people that made it such a fun day.

Good Morning. Skiers and Boarders are arriving at an even faster rate than yesterday. Our lots are just about full and the highway is packed. Unless you are within a couple of miles of The Basin right now, 8:15AM, park at River Run in Keystone and ride The Summit Stage or come this afternoon after people have started leaving.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Today went just about exactly as we expected. We reported 12 inches of new snow, 21 inches in two days. I call that 2 feet. When the clouds cleared, the views were amazing. Check out the East Wall picture from this morning. The skiing was tremendous. Our parking lots filled at 9:40. By 11:45 enough people had left that we stopped staffing the entrances and let people park just about wherever. People that arrived before 9:40 had one raging ski day. People that arrived after 11:45 had one raging ski day. Several people that arrived between 9:40 and 11:45 were unhappy. 18 cars that were parked atrociously on the highway were towed.

For the next couple of days, get here early or come in the afternoon. Read yesterday's blog post. Saturday and Sunday the Summit Stage is running. Park at River Run in Keystone and catch the bus.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

The Pali terrain, accessible from West Wall, re-opened today. I skied The Spine (thought that was over for the season). I experienced many faceshots. The snow is DEEEEEP. Since we reported 9 inches new this morning, it has snowed A LOT. The skiing is amazing. Check out the Snow Cam video on our website.

Pali Lift will re-open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I don't know about after that.

The skiing is incredible but, I have some very serious suggestions about visiting the next few days. It will be busy. Either get here very early or come in the afternoon. CARPOOL, CARPOOL, CARPOOL. The Summit Stage is running Saturday and Sunday. Ride it if you can. DO NOT PARK ON THE HIGHWAY.

The people that follow my suggestions are going to enjoy themselves. The people that don't are going to be unhappy. Don't be unhappy.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Today, Sunday May 14 will be the last day for Pallavicini Lift for the 2016-17 season. This is always a tough decision driven by many issues including avalanche concerns, skiability (not sure that is really a word) and the weather. The steep terrain accessible from the Top of Pali will also be closed. We have had a great season over there but, it is time to let her rest for the Summer.

We still have plenty of great skiing on the rest of the mountain. We have at least three more weeks left to be open. The Front Side and Montezuma Bowl have a long ways to go. Don't miss the fun.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Yesterday was another near perfect Spring Day. After the lifts shut down a group of mostly employees was soaking up the late day sun and sharing a little good cheer on the deck. Summit County local band "Dru Griffin and High Country" were playing in the 6th Alley. They came out on the deck and played several acoustic blue grass tunes for the crew. The gang enjoyed the nice afternoon, the sun on the mountains and good music. It was a treat.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Today was just a vintage Spring day at The Basin. The Beach was fun. The BML deck was tremendous. People were loving the terrain parks. The snow was great. The sky was blue. It is hard to top a day like today. But, we just might top it tomorrow. With this kind of weather forecast through Monday, we are going to have a very nice weekend.

And the corn skiing is superb. I know it is May because all kinds of friends are popping in from around the country and the world for their Spring pilgrimage to A-Basin.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Through the end of April, A-Basin has received 331 inches of snow which is 107% of average for that time period. We have already received 8 inches of snow in May, a month with a median snowfall of 21 inches. April received 44 inches of snow which is 83% of that month's average. Our base for the month of April had an average depth of 65 inches, 105% of April's average.

That 183 inches in December and January was certainly a treat. The coverage and skiing is still great.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

I spent much of the morning touring the hill skiing a bit on the North Side, Lower Mountain, Upper Mountain and Montezuma Bowl. The timing was excellent. The sun was out. Conditions were soft corduroy. Caught an early lunch at BML. An afternoon storm rolled. We had a lightning closure for a while. The sun popped out and we re-opened Black Mountain Express for the end of the day. It just started snowing again. Spring time weather is always interesting. I was caught down in Denver yesterday for that hail and thunderstorm. That was rough.

Monday, May 8, 2017

We are still a couple of months away from Disc Golf season at The Basin. That said, I wanted to remind everyone that we will be installing an additional 6 holes this season immediately after the snow melts. That will bring us up to a 9 hole course. We spent last summer working with the Forest Service on the approval process. We will get all 9 holes up and running as soon as possible.

With the 6th Alley Bar and Grill open Friday through Monday, come on up, play 9-18 holes of disc golf and enjoy a good meal and beverage on the deck.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Here is a picture of a real photographer taking pictures of ski (and snowboard) models in Beaver Bowl. This image was snapped a few days ago. We anticipate the lift served portion of our Beavers project to be open well into May most years. Pretty darn good views and pretty darn good skiing. We are going to have some fun out there.